Finance, Accounting & Reporting Online Short Courses

Advanced Certificate in Financial Accounting and Analysis

Every company demands accurate accounting and an in-depth understanding of their financial statements in order to thrive in a global business environment. Financial information is also used to make integral business decisions. In this course, you will learn how to accurately read financial statements using tools for analysis. Financial statements provide an account of the past, current, and future financial health of a company, and are used as a source for sound strategic decision making.

Syllabus:

Upon completing this programme of study you will have gained the ability to:

1. Understand the fundamental aspects of the four types of financial statements:

• Income statement
• Statement of Financial Position
• Statement of Stockholders Equity
• Statement of Cash Flows

2. Utilise financial statements as a tool for:

• Evaluating a company’s financial position
• Assessing historical and potential financial performance ◦ Analysing the quality of reported financial earnings

3. Formulate and present recommendations based on financial statement information, such as investment and credit decisions

You will be formally assessed via multiple-choice quiz. Achieving a satisfactory mark on this assignment is mandatory.

Advanced Certificate in Managerial Accounting and Analysis

Every company depends on effective accounting and analysis strategies in order to maintain a competitive standing within the global business environment. You will learn how to use financial information to forecast sales performance, identify potential risks, and develop effective business strategies. Managerial accounting involves the study of information systems, accounting records, and company goals to make sound decisions within the organisation.

Syllabus:

Throughout the course of this programme, you will focus your learning on the following areas:

• The role of managerial accounting in the effective conduct of an organisation
• Describing and identifying information that relates to business decisions
• The various types of costs and cost behaviours
• Management tools for evaluating performance and making costing decisions
• Making the right short-term decisions regarding outsourcing, special orders, and product mix
• Using responsibility accounting to evaluate managerial or departmental performance
• The preparation of a master budget and utilising it for planning and control purposes
• Arriving at carefully considered capital investment decisions through the use of financial models
• Product and service quality management for eliminating deficiencies and waste

You will be formally assessed via multiple-choice quiz. Achieving a satisfactory mark on this assignment is mandatory.

Advanced Diploma in Accounting and Operations

The following course consists of three modules:

1.1 Managerial Accounting and Analysis  
Managerial accounting is a strategic component of every business. This course will introduce you to the accounting and analysis techniques used by managers to forecast sales performance, identify potential risks, and meet specific company objectives. 

1.2 Financial Accounting and Analysis
Get the technical accounting requirements you need to fully understand and interpret accounting information. This course will teach you how to read and analyse financial statements and provide assessments of a company’s financial condition.

1.3 Advanced Operations Management
Every manager needs to be able to effectively manage a company’s business operations. You will study the key components of operations management, including inventory control, resource management, manufacturing, and production processing.

You will be formally assessed via multiple-choice quiz. Achieving a satisfactory mark on this assignment is mandatory.

Certificate in Introduction to Finance

Robust financial practise lies at the heart of every healthy business, and this programme will give you an appreciation of the basic financial tools and how to apply them in decision-making. You will gain an understanding of the concept of the time value of money and learn how to formulate basic financial equations, as well as how to prepare report inputs using financial tools such as discounting, compounding, annuities, and perpetuities.

Syllabus:

The course seeks to develop problem-solving skills in finance which enable you to apply intuition and basic financial analytical skills to decision making, through an examination of the following subject areas:

• Introduction to finance – the role of the financial manager, cash flow versus profit, agency theory, and corporate governance
• Financial Markets & Institutions – the stock market, other financial markets, financial intermediaries, financial institutions
• Project and Investment Decisions – the use of NPV and IRR future values, present value, perpetuities, and annuities
• Valuation – bond valuation, share valuation, and accounting versus finance approaches
• Portfolio Theory – the Markowitz Mean, and the variance approach
• Foreign Exchange Markets – PPT and IPT, forward, future, option and swap markets

You will be formally assessed via multiple-choice quiz. Achieving a satisfactory mark on this assignment is mandatory.

Certificate in Corporate Reporting

Become proficient in the implementation of the business combination framework for publishing accounts by learning how to construct and critically analyse consolidated financial statements. You will also work towards a broader understanding of corporate reporting by learning how to calculate values for various forms of financial instruments based on their categorisation, as well as evaluate their impact on the financial statements of business entities.

Syllabus:

The aim of this certificate programme is to gain knowledge and technical skills that can be applied in a variety of practical accounting scenarios, including:

• Implementation of the business combination framework for publishing accounts
• Constructing and critically analysing consolidated financial statements
• Calculating values for various forms of financial instruments
• Evaluating the impact of financial instruments on financial statements

You will be formally assessed via multiple-choice quiz. Achieving a satisfactory mark on this assignment is mandatory.

Diploma in Corporate Finance and Reporting

The following course incorporates three modules

1.1 Introduction to finance
This module will give you an appreciation of the basic financial tools and how to apply them in decision making. You will gain an understanding of how to formulate basic financial equations, as well as use financial tools such as discounting, compounding, annuities, and perpetuities.

1.2 Corporate Finance
Gain the ability to analyse the decisions that underpin corporate finance and evaluate working capital policies. You will focusing on applying discounted cash flow methods to analyse investment decisions, the concepts of risk and return, and the cost of capital.

1.3 Corporate Reporting
Become proficient in the construction and analysis of consolidated financial statements. You will also learn how to calculate values for various forms of financial instruments, as well as evaluate their impact on the financial statements of business entities.

You will be formally assessed via multiple-choice quiz. Achieving a satisfactory mark on this assignment is mandatory.

Certificate in Policy Issues in the Global Economy

It is vital for every company manager to have a thorough understanding of global policy issues in order to maintain their competitive advantage within the global market. Study how international agreements, investment and financial policies, immigration, and financial crises can influence business operations and decision making. Learn how international economic systems cooperate to comply with tax laws and trade restrictions. You will study microeconomic and macroeconomic concepts and efforts made to curtail some of the consequences of international business, including environmental damage and cultural homogenisation.

Syllabus:

The programme of modules which make up this certificate will enable students to expand their understanding of international economic systems, and to apply economic thinking to assess policy change at corporate, governmental, and institutional levels, through an examination of the following topics:
• The key influences on international trade, investment and financial movements
• The economics of immigration
• Global financial crises
• Policies to mitigate environmental damage.

You will be formally assessed via multiple-choice quiz. Achieving a satisfactory mark on this assignment is mandatory.

Certificate in Corporate Finance

Gain the ability to analyse the decisions that underpin the application of corporate finance and utilise cash management models to critically evaluate working capital policies. You will develop these capabilities by focusing on how to apply discounted cash flow methods to analyse investment decisions and discussing the concepts of risk and return, as well as learning how to calculate the cost of capital.

Syllabus:

This certificate programme will cover the following topics:

• Building blocks of corporate finance - financial management and corporate finance decision models
• Investment Decisions - traditional and discounted cash flow investment decision tools and their application to investment decision making
• Financing Decisions I - capital structure theories and their application to financial decision making
• Financing Decisions II - risk and return trade-off, the cost of equity, the cost of debt and the weighted average cost of capital (WACC)
• Working Capital Decisions - working capital policies, formulas and cash flow management models, and their application to capital decision making

You will be formally assessed via multiple-choice quiz. Achieving a satisfactory mark on this assignment is mandatory.

Advanced Diploma in Finance and Investment

The Advanced Diploma in Finance and Investment is made up of three modules. In the Advanced Financial Accounting & Analysis module, you will learn how to read and analyse financial statements and make strategic financial decisions.

Next, you will study the Corporate Finance module, which will cover topics such as discounted cash flow methods, calculating the cost of capital, and cash management.

Finally, you will complete your advanced diploma with the Advanced Managerial Accounting and Analysis module, where you will learn how to use financial information to predict sales revenue, pinpoint risks, and make sound business decisions. Most importantly, you will learn how accounting and analysis skills contribute to the success of any business. This diploma also meets the entry course requirements for enrolling on one of LSBF’s academic programmes.

You will be formally assessed via multiple-choice quiz. Achieving a satisfactory mark on this assignment is mandatory.